David Owens

Every day before school, I would get up and eat breakfast and watch a cartoon or two before waiting at the bus stop. Between the cartoons were the commercials and many of them were for cereal. A few that would really leave a lasting impression was Frosted Flakes with Tony the Tiger with his catch phrase “They’re Grrrrreat” and the green Leprechaun from Lucky Charms saying “they’re magically delicious.” And who could forget Toucan Sam from Fruit Loops.

Each day I would tell my mom I want this or that cereal and she would say, “if you’re a good boy all week I will let you pick one out on Saturday.” I remember thinking what a deal and all week I would contemplate what cereal I would pick at the store. You see, growing up I had three brothers and three sisters so money was tight. We did not have all of the hottest toys or games. Therefore, getting a box of cereal was a big deal to me.

Finally Saturday morning arrived and I would go grocery shopping with my mom. My favorite part of the whole trip besides being with my mom of course was going down the cereal aisle. All of the different brands and their bright colors and cartoon characters on them were so exciting. However, most of the time I would pick Frosted Flakes because I really liked Tony the Tiger’s “They’re Grrrrreat”.

As an adult, I have learned that as a child, me and tens of millions of other kids were just a General Mills and Kellogg’s target market. Not to mention the techniques for cereal placement, it now makes sense. For example, the next time you are at the grocery store with your kids and they are sitting in the cart look at what cereal brands are at their eye level. Grrrrrrreat, huh? Looking back now I feel like I was tricked. But after all, Trix are for kids.

Looking back at your childhood experiences in advertising, how do you view them as an adult?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal